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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28941669">Pretty Like a Car Crash</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaytiKazoo/pseuds/KaytiKazoo'>KaytiKazoo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>All We Do Is Drive [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Car Accidents, Established Relationship, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:07:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,664</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28941669</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaytiKazoo/pseuds/KaytiKazoo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Deke and Trevor get into a car crash on the way to their date night, and no one will tell Deke if Trevor is okay.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Deke Shaw &amp; Jemma Simmons, Trevor Khan/Deke Shaw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>All We Do Is Drive [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2002129</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pretty Like a Car Crash</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was a normal afternoon. They were on their way to dinner. Trevor had the radio up, singing along to the same car playlist they’d had since they were friends and Trevor was teaching him how to drive. It was a song they both knew by heart, but Trevor had this tendency to intentionally mess it up to make Deke laugh. It was the reason he, despite having heard Don’t You Forget About Me approximately one million times since they’d met, barely knew the correct words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is why you fuck up karaeoke,” Deke teased, and took his eyes off the road for a single moment. The light was green on their side, so he didn’t think as he drove through the intersection. It wasn’t even five o’clock yet, since they had to make a stop at a store before their reservations. He looked over at Trevor, shining bright in the afternoon sun, skin practically glowing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked away for an instance, and when he lifted his gaze, he saw the headlights, the shining metal grill, the blur of it coming straight for them. He didn’t know what to do. Should he speed up, slam on the breaks, swerve? He’d never been in this situation before. He panicked, it happened so fast, and the truck slammed into the side of their car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was the sound of glass shattering, tires squealing, metal on metal screeching, and a pained yelp from Trevor’s side of the car. Deke’s eyes darted to him, just as they were plowed by the truck into a crosswalk sign. They were tossed around. Deke’s head whipped back and forth. He closed his eyes just for a moment, and it took him a moment to realize that the sound he could hear, the loud groaning, was coming from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything hurt. His shoulder, his neck, his arm, his leg, all of it radiated equally out, meeting in the middle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were sounds he didn’t recognize, sirens, people’s voices, a horn. He didn’t hear Trevor, though. He forced his eyes open, and looked over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trev,” he said, pushing the words up and out of his mouth. His head hurt so much. Trevor was leaned away from him towards the door, the window shattered, and there was blood. Deke tried to reach for him but a new sharp pain shot through him, and he looked down to see the door mangled and a piece of plastic sticking out of his thigh. “Fuck. Trev. Wake up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sir, can you hear me?” a voice called, and an unfamiliar face appeared in the window next to Trevor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have to help, my boyfriend - he’s, he’s hurt,” Deke said, voice reedy with panic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, what’s your name, sir?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deke, okay. My name is Emma, I'm a paramedic. How are you feeling?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It hurts,” Deke replied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What hurts?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, everything. There’s something in my leg, but please, help him first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We will. What’s his name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trevor. His name is Trevor Kahn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Deke. Can you tell me what day it is?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Saturday, it's our date night."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, good. That's good, Deke. This is Sam, he and I are going to get Trevor out and to the hospital. You let us know if anything happens, okay? Just call my name, or Sam's, and we'll be there to help."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay," Deke said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was blood running down Trevor's face from a cut he couldn't quite see and Deke ached to reach out and touch him. He'd just been singing along to the playlist. He'd been </span>
  <em>
    <span>awake</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>alive</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's, he's alive, right? Trevor is alive?" Deke asked. His head hurt and he wanted to close his eyes, but he didn't want to take his eyes off Trevor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emma ducked her head into the car to press her fingers into Trevor's neck, feeling for his pulse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's got a pulse. He's alive," Emma said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, thank God."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a slow process, the paramedics joined by some firefighters and some cops, all who came by to check on Deke and make sure he was awake. He just wanted to know that Trevor was okay and wasn't going to die. They had to cut the car open to get Trevor out, and Deke panicked once he was out of sight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You need to relax, Deke," someone said. It wasn't Emma. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wherever Trevor goes, whatever hospital, I want to go."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can arrange that," the voice said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed to take eternity, passing in individual seconds, in inches of the sun passing overhead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, Deke, we're going to get you out and to the hospital now. Hold tight."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deke waited, and they got him out as promised. There was a collar wrapped around his neck to keep his head still on the ride and a nice paramedic who introduced himself as Ty rode with him in the ambulance. He just wanted to see Trevor though. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn't ever been to a hospital before. Any time he'd been hurt since coming to this time had been with SHIELD and it had been Nana who had patched him up with a gentle, loving admonishment to be more careful with himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Nana</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had to contact Nana and Bobo, they had to know. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But they couldn't come running to take care of him. They were in Scotland with Alya. All it would do is make them worry, and he couldn't do that to them. He didn't want to be a burden on them. They’d already done so much for him and he couldn’t say he’d done his fair share in return. He couldn’t ask them to fly all the way to California to look after him when he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did have to call Avi and Mrs. Kahn when he was able to let them know about Trevor. There were certainly few things scarier than the Kahns when it came to their family, and he did not want to be surprised by an Aveline-shaped shadow in the middle of the night right before she assassinated him for not telling them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melinda May had nothing on Mrs. Kahn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Most of the time, at least.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He closed his eyes, and thought about Trevor, and everything they'd been through. There was no way he was losing the absolute love of his life in this or any timeline to a crosswalk sign. That's not now this ended. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That's what he kept telling himself as they made it to the hospital and wheeled him into the emergency room, a doctor appearing at his side as the paramedics updated him. Apparently beyond the piece of car in Deke's leg, he also potentially had a broken arm and head injury. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, Deke, my name is Doctor Lewis. I'm going to be looking after you today. How are you feeling?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Admittedly not great," Deke replied. "How's Trevor?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Trevor?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My boyfriend, Trevor Kahn. He was in the car with me. They took him in the other ambulance."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, I'm not sure. I'll check when we're done here. I want to get you taken care of first. So, I'm going to take care of your leg, and we're going to get you in for an x-ray for your neck and your arm."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My neck?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We want to make sure that you didn't sustain any injuries to your spinal column before we remove the collar."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's start with getting your leg patched up."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deke let the doctor work, let himself be wheeled back and forth until they were satisfied. He had stitches in his leg and his arm was in a cast, and there were other bandages across his body thanks to a spray of broken glass. He caught an image of himself in a window that the nurse, a nice redhead named Olivia, wheeled him pass. He'd been through worse. He'd looked worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He'd never felt worse, though, anxious to see Trevor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Trevor," Deke said to Olivia as she got him settled into a bed. They wanted to keep him for observation overnight specifically because he apparently had a concussion. "I don't know how much you can tell me. I know, I know I'm not his legal family but he's my boyfriend and I, I just need to know he's okay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Trevor Kahn, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's in surgery right now," she said. "Do you have contact info for his next of kin? His phone wasn't recovered."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, it's in my," he said, reaching for his phone in his pocket. He'd forgotten they'd made him change into a hospital gown when they'd admitted him, his jeans having been cut clear to the knee on one leg so the doctor could stitch his leg up. "Phone. Where's my phone?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Olivia sorted through his belongings on the side table nearby and pulled out his phone, the screen cracked but not completely unusable, handing it over. He swiped through his lock screen and found the number for Trevor's mom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They live in Northern California, so they won't be able to get here immediately," he said after reading the number off for her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you have anyone coming for you, sweetie?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uhh, no. My family lives in Scotland, so," he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Any friends?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ahh, not in the area, no. It's just me and Trevor here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay. I'll give Trevor's folks a call, then, and I'll be back to check on you in a little bit, okay?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, Olivia."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smiled at him and left him alone. It wasn't a private room, he could hear the sleepy breathing of someone on the other side of the curtain, but he didn't mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He unlocked his phone, and considered who he could contact, but he didn't want to call Nana and Bobo, and if he called anyone else, they would call Nana and Bobo and he'd be in trouble. He wanted to talk to Daisy, mostly, but she was off in space somewhere doing awesome things with her out of time boyfriend and sister. She didn't have time to talk to him. Mack was running SHIELD. Yo-Yo was probably on mission. He was absolutely not calling May, or Coulson. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That left… no one. That left no one for him to contact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He dropped his head back against the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he didn't have to tell them he was in the hospital. He could just call them to talk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He dialed Nana's cell phone before he could change his mind again, and carefully held it up to his ear. His head still hurt, but he wanted to hear some reassuring familiar voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Deke, it's a little late," Jemma answered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh. Right. Time zones. I forgot, I'm sorry."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay? You sound off."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not - I'm okay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Deke," she repeated, and there was the stern mother tone that reminded him so much of his mom. "What's going on?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nothing," Deke said. "I just wanted to hear your voice."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"On date night?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, right. I forgot you knew about that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Everything okay with Trevor?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn't lie, but he doesn't tell her the truth. Instead, he just made a noise in the back of his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Deke?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No," he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What happened?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There was an accident. Trevor's hurt. He's really hurt, Nana."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How bad?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know. He's in surgery, but it's going to take hours for his family to get here, and I'm not, I'm not allowed information because we're not married. And I'm stuck in this stupid hospital bed."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A </span>
  <em>
    <span>hospital bed</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Are you hurt?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, but it's nothing -"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The next word out of your mouth had better not be </span>
  <em>
    <span>serious</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Deke Shaw."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's not. I have a concussion. And a broken arm."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Deke!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a noise on the other side of the line, which was unmistakably Fitz making his typical Deke-caused cranky noises.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's he doing now?" he grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Deke's in the hospital," Jemma said. "Can you book me a flight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Nana, you don’t have to,” Deke started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m coming. You can’t stop me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a flight in three hours,” Fitz said, “should land in California tomorrow around noon. There’s a single layover in Amsterdam for less than an hour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perfect. Book it. Do you mind taking care of Alya by yourself for a few days?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you remember I’m on this call with you?” Deke asked. “And I’m protesting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your protest is noted, dear,” Jemma replied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nana.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deke. Sweetheart. I am not going to let you go through this alone, okay? Your boyfriend is in surgery. You’re alone. You yourself are hurt, and you probably need some kind of comfort. I know I would. So, I’m coming there, and nothing you say can change my mind."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alya and I will be fine," Fitz said. "Plus, Mum's just around the corner if I get in over my head."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I love you," Jemma said a bit dreamily. "I'll pack a bag. Deke, send me your location and your room number in case I get there before you get checked out. Obviously I won't have my phone but please keep us updated until I can get there."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nana."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It'll be okay, Deke," she said softly. "You're not alone, okay? I'm on my way."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," he sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I love you," she said, and Deke let out a sad noise. "Everything's going to be okay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, Nana. I'll see you soon."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he hung up, he rested his head back against the pillows behind him and closed his eyes. He felt better, actually, knowing that his Nana was on the way. He wasn’t naive enough to believe that everything would magically be better with Jemma on a plane. There was always a chance that there would be a complication with the surgery and Trevor could - </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jemma Simmons could do a lot of things, but she couldn’t bring Trevor -</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If anything happened to - </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t think about it that way, and maybe rest would do him good like everyone always said it would. But he didn’t fall asleep; he couldn’t sleep. He could stay awake for days, even in pain. They hadn’t given him any particularly strong pain-killers, but he preferred it this way. Alone, he wouldn’t take any drugs unless he had to, unless it was life or death. He stayed awake, but kept his eyes closed so he didn’t have to see the world.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Sometime later, Olivia came back in to check on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey sweetie,” she said, touching his shoulder. He opened his eyes. “I got a hold of Trevor’s mom. She and his sister are on the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s good. Any update on Trevor?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smiled sadly at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s still in surgery.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. That’s, that’s something at least.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are you feeling?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m okay. I called my, uh,” he paused. He couldn’t call her his grandmother and then have Jemma Simmons show up. “I called my aunt. I almost called her Nana, because that’s my name for her, but she’s barely older than me, so that might have been confusing. She’s the one who lives in Scotland, and she’s on her way right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s good!” she said. “Let me just do a quick check up and then I'll let you get back to resting."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, Olivia."</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Deke: you're my aunt by the way when you arrive at the hospital </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nana: that makes sense, your mother's younger sister then?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deke: sounds good to me</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deke: thanks again for this, Nana, I'm sorry to be an inconvenience but </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nana: oh you're no inconvenience at all Deke </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nana: ❤️</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deke: 🍊</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The Kahns arrived first, of course, and Deke heard Avi coming before she appeared in his doorway. He was trying to distract himself with online shopping, having bought a new phone to be sent to their apartment for each of them, and then browsing for stuff for the apartment. He had just bought a new pots and pans set, because Trevor was always complaining about his, when Avi appeared in his doorway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deke!” she said excitedly. “You’re okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Avi,” he breathed out. “You guys got here fast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah. Mama speeds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed, which hurt a little, and he grimaced. Ave came into his room and pulled a chair up to his bedside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why aren’t you checking on Trevor?” Deke asked. Avi leaned into the bedrail and smiled at him. She and Trevor had the same smile, and it warmed him to see.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom is talking to the surgeon now. He’s out of surgery and in recovery, and we stopped to see him, but I know if I didn’t check on you, Trev would never let me live it down. He’d do that mother hen clucking thing he does that sounds so much like Mom, but - you can’t tell him I said that. He’d kill me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deke laughed, and put his hand on hers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, whatcha in for, kid?” she asked in a purposefully gruff voice that made him laugh more. Even if it hurt, tugging at stitches and making his arm ache, he was glad to have her there, her humor always welcome in his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Broken arm, stitches in my leg, and a concussion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yikes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be okay. I’m mostly worried about Trevor. They won’t tell me anything because I’m not family. I haven’t seen him since the car, and I’m -”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you’re okay, Deke. Trevor’s going to be okay, too. And you are family. You and Trevor, you’re family, no matter what the hospital says. You’ve made a commitment to each other, and that’s what makes you family, the choice of being together and staying together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hospital disagrees,” he grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hospital wrong,” Avi replied. “As soon as we get the okay, you should come see him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s really going to be okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, the surgery went fine. They’ve got him all patched up and he’s resting now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank god. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if -”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, the accident wasn’t your fault, Deke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should have been -”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stopped because that was the same tone Trevor used when Deke was in trouble. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Deke, the other guy apparently was drunk and ran the red light. You absolutely are not at fault here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I looked away,” he said quietly. “I took my eyes off the road.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t matter. The other guy wasn’t supposed to be on the road. This is entirely on him, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aveline?” he heard from the hall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In here, Mama,” Avi called.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deke had never officially met Mrs. Khan in person. Avi had come to visit but their mom had had to work. He’d talked to her on the phone, and on a video call when Trevor was at the apartment. This was the first time they were meeting in person and he was covered in bandages and looked like garbage, and on top of that, her son was in the hospital because of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Deke,” Mrs. Kahn sighed, coming to his side beside Avi. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not in any pain?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Avi coughed and said, “liar” at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I don’t need any pain meds. I’m okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure? I can get a doctor to -”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s okay, Mrs. Khan. I’m okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, if you change your mind, let me know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why aren’t you with Trevor?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, we saw him, but he’s not awake yet. I didn’t want you to be alone. Are your grandparents coming?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My, uh, my aunt Jemma is. But she had to fly from Scotland so she’ll be in tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s good. I’m glad to hear that. Are you allowed out of bed? I think Trevor would want you to be there with him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’d have to ask -” Deke started just as Olivia bopped in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, hello,” she paused. “You must be Mrs. Khan. I’m Olivia, we spoke on the phone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, oh! Good! Can we take Deke to see Trevor? He’s out of surgery and should be waking soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see why not. Let me just take Deke’s vitals and get a wheelchair. Just promise to be gentle. Deke’s got a concussion we’re monitoring.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, of course,” Mrs. Khan said as Olivia came into his side. She checked his vitals on the monitor, and noted them in a tablet she carried, and checked his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’s your pain, Deke? Gotten any worse since you came in? The adrenaline and shock should have worn off now, so you might be feeling it more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same amount.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On a scale of one to ten?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About a four.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, let me know if it gets any worse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me get this submitted and I’ll get you that wheelchair. You know where you’re going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trevor’s right around the corner,” Mrs. Khan said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wonderful. Just wait here one moment.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Mrs. Kahn wheeled him carefully into Trevor’s room and Deke was thankful for the wheelchair, gripping the armrest with as much strength as he could. He looked terribly small in the hospital bed, his date night clothes traded for a matching hospital gown. He had an IV and a tube in his nose for oxygen, his head bandaged, his leg in a cast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There,” Mrs. Kahn said, “my boys back together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She kissed the top of Deke’s head and then moved to kiss Trevor’s forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll give you a few minutes. Avi, let’s find some coffee.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Avi squeezed his shoulder as they left. He wheeled himself closer and then scooched forward on his chair so he could take Trevor’s hand, laying against the bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he said. “I’m not sure if you can hear me, but I need you to be okay. I know what the doctors said. I just also know with my luck, something would happen to you. And I don’t think I could live with myself if anything did happen. Who am I without you anymore, Trev? You’ve been my best friend, and the love of my life for a while now that I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life. I’d be lost. I don’t know how to be an adult yet. I don’t know how to change a tire, or buy a house, or - I don’t know how to do anything without you. And I know the world would keep spinning if anything happened to you, but I wouldn’t want it, any of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He brought Trevor’s hand up to his mouth and kissed his knuckles gently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need you, Trevor. I’m not done seeing the world with you. I’m not done loving you. I never will be, and it shouldn’t have taken so long for me to get here because you’re so absolutely stunning inside and out. You’re the most brilliant person I’ve ever met, even when you’re being an idiot. And I’d stand up in front of Nana and Bobo telling them just that. I’d do that for you. I’d do anything for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sniffled, and without realizing it, a tear rolled down his cheek. He didn't want to let go of Trevor's hand, his other one out of commission. But he let go of Trevor's hand reluctantly and wiped away his tears quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"God, I'm pathetic," he whispered. "I'm the reason you're in here and I'm crying at your bedside like a widow already."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soft fingertips brushed his jaw, and when he looked up, Trevor's eyes were open and his hand was lifted in the air. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, you're awake!" Deke said excitedly. "I should tell your mom, and your doctor."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hold on," Trevor said, and his voice was a little thready but soothed every aching part of Deke. "I want to see you for a minute."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay," Deke said, sinking closer to Trevor and letting his fingertips move over his skin. He touched Deke's cheek and the bandage on his jaw from where a shard of glass cut him. He ran light touches down his arm to where his cast started, arm held against him with the sling. "I was so worried, Trev. They wouldn't tell me anything. I thought I was going to lose you and I'd be the last to know. I couldn't handle that, and -"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trevor shifted in bed like he was going to sit up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, no, no. Lay back down. You just got out of surgery, mister. You're not going anywhere until the surgeon gives the okay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I just want to kiss you," Trevor said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then I will come to you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deke pushed himself up out of the chair and into Trevor's space to kiss him, steadying himself on his good hand. It felt like he'd never kissed Trevor before, relief flooding through him as their lips slotted together just right, and Trevor touched his chest like he was afraid he wasn't real. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deke realized all at once that there was a chance that he'd never have kissed Trevor again. Their kiss in the apartment when Deke was intentionally being a little shit and Trevor had kissed him to shut him up could have been the last time they'd ever kissed, and he hadn't appreciated it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," Trevor said softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you want to get married?" Deke asked, the words tumbling out of him before he could second guess himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deke sank back down into the wheelchair and looked at Trevor in his hospital bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I was so worried about you. I thought you were going to die, and that I'd have to live the rest of my life without you. And I couldn't do that. I don't want to. I want you with me for as long as I can, and - will you marry me, Trevor? I don't have a ring, and I know this is the worst place for a proposal, but I don't want to wait. I -"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Deke," Trevor said, and Deke stopped. "Of course, I'll marry you, you idiot."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You will?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course I will. I love you, Deke, and I always will. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want it to be a long, uneventful life."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deke slotted their hands together and leaned over him to kiss him again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I want that, too," Deke breathed. "I want to be your husband, and buy a house with you, and adopt some kids, and some dogs, and fill our house with every bit of happiness I feel with you every day."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good. You're stuck with me now."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were quiet, Deke's forehead leaned against Trevor's shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then, Trevor asked, "did you say my mom's here?" </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Deke had to be wheeled back to his room too soon, Olivia saying he needed to get some rest and so did Trevor. Rest came easier knowing Trevor was awake, and that Trevor was his fiance. That was almost hard to believe, that Trevor Kahn had agreed to marry him, that they wanted the same thing, a future where they could grow together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Avi came by before visiting hours were over, and she kissed his forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re headed for the hotel, but we’ll be back tomorrow. You get some rest, okay? Take care of yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jemma will be here tomorrow?” she asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She will. Probably around noon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good. I can’t wait to meet her finally.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All at once, Deke realized what he had caused. Aveline Kahn and Jemma Simmons could not be in the same place. The world might explode if they met; two chaotic souls who could absolutely destroy him with their little chaos hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, okay, yeah. That should be fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She laughed, and patted her hand on his arm gently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be good,” she promised. “I won’t ask for any embarrassing kid stories.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deke snorted. He would love if she asked, though, specifically because Jemma didn’t have any embarrassing kid stories that anyone alive knew. Even Flint didn’t know him as a kid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He missed Flint.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He might call him up and see what’s going on with him at SHIELD Academy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, I appreciate that,” Deke said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aveline,” Mrs. Kahn said in the door. “Goodnight, Deke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Mrs. Kahn. Thank you for coming,” Deke said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sweetie, you don’t have to thank me. I wouldn’t be anywhere else. You and Trevor needed us, so here we are. We’ll be back tomorrow. Let us know if you need anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Avi winked at him and left after her mom. He rested his head back against the pillows, and let himself relax for the first time. </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Deke,” Jemma sighed. He was sitting with Trevor in his room alone, Avi and Mrs. Kahn still at their hotel. “Oh! Trevor! You’re awake!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good to see you, Simmons,” Trevor said. He was sitting up, his breakfast sitting mostly finished in front of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are you feeling?” Jemma asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, uh, I’m pretty good. I’ve got drugs in my system,” he said, gesturing to his IV and the morphine drip nearby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s always fun. You’re both okay, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re okay,” Deke said. “Actually, we have some good news we wanted to share.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pulled up a chair next to Deke and touched him, running her hand over his arm, checking him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, uh,” Deke said, looking at Trevor who nodded. “I asked Trevor to marry me, and he said yes. We’re engaged.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Deke! That’s wonderful!” she said, pulling him into a careful hug. She pressed a kiss into his temple, clearly smiling. “I’m so happy for you. That’s just wonderful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She moved to press a secondary kiss into Trevor’s hairline. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so happy to have you in our family, Trevor,” Jemma said. “Well, you’re already in our family, but it’ll be nice to make it official.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Simmons.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trevor, you can call me Jemma. I promise I won’t get mad, and you’re going to be my grandson too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Jemma,” he repeated with a pleased smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deke took Trevor’s hand, slipping his fingers between Trevor’s, and Trevor squeezed back. He sighed happily, and looked at his </span>
  <em>
    <span>fiance</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He was going to marry this man. He was going to have the entire future with this man. He had chosen Trevor, and Trevor had chosen him back, and that was a miracle in and of itself. They were impossible. They were born decades apart and he traveled through time to meet Trevor and somehow, here they were. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Somehow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t even sure he deserved it, but he also wasn’t going to let that ruin anything. His luck brought him here, and gave him Trevor, and he was going to ride this wave for as far as it went, for as long as Trevor would let him be in his life. He hoped it was forever.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is your family here, Trev?” Jemma asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re at their hotel. How’d you - wait, it’s not visiting hours yet. How’d you get in here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no, I pulled the doctor card,” she said with a wink. “Plus, there’s this very nice nurse who was expecting me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Olivia,” Deke said to Trevor when Trevor’s eyebrows pulled together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s Fitz?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With Alya at home. I wanted to come, and it would be more difficult to bring Alya with us, but he sends his love.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does he?” Deke scoffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, of course he does. He cares about you, Deke. I know he’s prickly, but he does care about you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He doesn’t act like it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He immediately booked me a flight to come see you without arguing, Deke, because he cares about you. He knew one of us had to stay behind, and that in a hospital, I would probably be more of a comfort to you, but he wishes he could be here with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hummed and nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, well,” he said, and there was absolutely a warmth in his chest he didn’t expect. She pat his arm, and he tried not to feel as pleased as he did. “Avi and Mrs. Kahn should be arriving soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, god,” Trevor said, and Deke looked over at him. “I just realized Avi and Jemma are -”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I came to that conclusion last night, and I’m sorry for what I’ve done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The hospital’s going to explode around us,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think it’ll be that bad,” Jemma input.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it will. You haven’t met Avi yet, but she’s like Daisy but if Daisy were five foot tall and full of spite and attitude,” Deke said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jemma glanced at Trevor who nodded his agreement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no, I’ll agree to that. That’s an accurate representation of my sister.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are you this chill if your sister is a scaled down, sassier Daisy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I ask myself that a lot,” Trevor replied. “I don’t know how Avi and I came from the same place sometimes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’ve agreed to have Deke join your family, making him and Avi in-laws,” Jemma teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Trevor said. “Well, that’s certainly worth it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled at Deke, and everything that might happen with Avi and Jemma meeting, everything that he worried about, it didn’t matter if he had Trevor. He’d never had a lot of family, his grandparents dying when he was young, and then losing his parents not long after. He’d practically raised himself after, shuttled between adults and left alone. Since coming to the past, he’d learned that he had the best family in the world with Jemma, Fitz, and Alya. Now it was getting so much bigger adding Trevor, and with Trevor, the Kahns. He couldn’t wait to bring in even more to their family. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Avi and Mrs. Kahn came to visit, and they introduced the two halves of their family, the world didn’t explode as Trevor and Deke suspected. In fact, they smiled at each other, and Deke felt warm, and full, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He wasn’t sure how something so terrible as that crash had ended here like this, but he was incredibly glad they were all okay, and they were together, and they had a future, a bright, beautiful future, full of hope and love and everything good in the world. </span>
</p>
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